June12, 2025: Whopper breakfast & the movie "KOKUHO" at 109 Cinemas Minoh

June12, 2025: Had a Whopper breakfast and watched the movie "KOKUHO" at 109 Cinemas Minoh.

I felt it was a beautiful and powerful, yet deeply heartrending film. It made me reflect on what true success in life really means. I was reminded once again that success—whether it means winning a competition, achieving a goal, or growing as a person—often comes at a cost. Therefore, success and happiness do not necessarily go hand in hand.

The world of Kabuki remains a unique and closed society even today. Unless one is born into a very limited number of prestigious lineages, it is nearly impossible to stand center stage in a major performance. Despite being one of Japan’s most iconic traditional performing arts, the Kabuki world does not readily accept even exceptionally talented individuals from outside.

Therefore, when a gifted outsider appears—as in this story—it inevitably causes great anguish and disruption within this deeply entrenched hereditary system.

In any case, no matter how talented you are or how hard you work, it only increases the probability of success—it never guarantees it. That’s just the nature of life; sometimes, things are simply beyond our control.

At that point, perhaps one would have to make a deal with the devil—just like the protagonist of this film—in order to become the greatest Kabuki actor in Japan.

It was entirely because he was truly devoted to the way of Kabuki and striving to master it that he pleaded with the devil, saying, “Please make me better at Kabuki—nothing else matters to me.”

Still, although the protagonist, who devoted his entire life to Kabuki and eventually became a Living National Treasure, may be considered a successful person, it seemed to me that what he lost in exchange for that success was far too great a price to pay.

It was a nearly three-hour-long film, but it turned out to be far more powerful and visually stunning than I had expected. Even though I wasn’t very interested in Kabuki, I thoroughly enjoyed it. That’s why I bought the paperback edition of the original novel. I’m about to start reading it now.